Archive · 3 Oct 2026
Wearable Health Tracking Can Help Those With Conditions
Some people track many health details with watches and may become worried about them.
But these watches can also help people who already have health problems.
Aditya Shah’s mother, Harshada, had treatment for blocked arteries.
Her son suggested she wear a smartwatch that could record an ECG.
In early 2021, she felt unwell one morning.
The watch also showed an unusual heart rhythm.
They recorded an ECG and sent it to her heart doctor using WhatsApp.
The article presents this as an example of when health tracking may be useful.
The article says wearable devices may benefit people with pre-existing health conditions, even as tracking can cause anxiety for healthy users.
Aditya Shah’s mother, Harshada, had several procedures for blocked arteries.
Around 2019, she underwent angiography and angioplasty.
Shah encouraged her to use a smartwatch partly because its ECG function could flag irregular heart rhythms.
In early 2021, the watch flagged an unusual rhythm when Harshada felt unwell; they sent its ECG recording to her cardiologist.
- Who
- Aditya Shah and his mother, Harshada.
- What
- A smartwatch flagged an unusual heart rhythm, and they sent an ECG recording to her cardiologist.
- When
- Early 2021; her angiography and angioplasty took place around 2019.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- Shah encouraged his mother to use a smartwatch partly because its ECG could flag irregular heart rhythms.
- Person wearing the watch
- Harshada, Aditya Shah’s mother
- Age at the time described
- 63
- Prior health issue
- Blockages in her arteries
- Procedures
- Angiography and angioplasty around 2019
- Watch feature
- ECG function that could flag irregular heart rhythms
- Alert
- The watch flagged an unusual heart rhythm in early 2021
- How the ECG was shared
- They sent the PDF to her cardiologist over WhatsApp